Author Archives: AROC-Bonneville

08.22.20
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Mark Gilman Passed Away

Mark Gilman
It is with heartfelt sadness I report the passing of Mark Gilman, a long time and dedicated member of our club. Mark suffered a serious stroke last week and passed away yesterday.  He leaves behind his wife and two daughters.
Mark was a scooter lover through and through. When he first came to the club, he rode a Chinese bike that he’d put on a staggering 35,000 miles. He later “upgraded,” purchasing Jeff’s old Yamaha Majesty and rode it endlessly. I’d see him buzzing around town all the time on it. He also purchased an electric scooter that he was tinkering with to see how many miles he could get out of it. Mark was a master mechanic and could fix anything. He was an engineer by trade and could figure out any scooter issue. Jeff and I used his expertise on several occasions and he always came through. The fact he could keep his old scooter running well past anyone’s expectations was a testament to his talent.
Mark was a generous, kind, and friendly man who was clearly a great dad. Of all our club members, he was the one who always brought his daughters or wife on our rides. He had a distinctive laugh and was a story teller who loved to share his past experiences. Those adventures took him all over the world. While visiting Taipei, he sent me videos of the thousands of scooters. While in the Kuwait, he sent me a photo of a derelict Ferrari. He was also a reliable member of our club. Mark could always be depended on to show up at every ride and bring his enthusiasm. He’d offer to help anyone having technical issues and was eager to jump in and share his expertise.
I was always stunned by his endurance and distances he’d cover on his scooter. In March, with frigid temperatures in Utah, all of us headed south to Vegas using trailers. Mark rode the Majesty the 500 miles. Every August, he’d trek to Grand Junction to the High Desert Rally and yep, he’d ride there on his scooter. He loved to ride and he took every opportunity to be a part of our events. In this, I always appreciated him because when you have a club, it’s only as good as your members. Nobody likes to hold rides and not have anyone show. If Mark was in town, he was there. He was a great contributor to our club and a good friend. I will miss him much.
If anyone knows of someone looking for an electric scooter or a well used Yamaha Majesty, please reach out to me. His wife also has two airplanes for sale. Yep, he was a also a pilot.
I don’t know the distance to heaven but I can promise you this, Mark is probably riding there too.
God speed my friend.
07.06.20
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U.S. Motorcycle Sales Boom Amid Pandemic

“Overall, our sales are up at least 50 to 70%,” said Rob McLendon, III, of D&D Cycles, an Aprilia, Kymco, Piaggio, MV Agusta, Triumph, and Vespa dealer in Pensacola, Florida. “I’ve made about three or four extra orders of scooters, alone. I’ve been going to auctions, buying five or six used bikes at a time, which is a lot for us, and selling them all before I can get them fully prepped for resale.”

Source: U.S. Motorcycle Sales Boom Amid Pandemic – Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle Riding, Racing & Tech News

07.03.20
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Racing Vespas in the Mexican 1000 sounds like peak adventure

Racing rallies is an exercise of determination, grit, and toughness, and that’s when driving something like a trophy truck, an off-road motorcycle, or an ATV. Tutto Mondo Racing (TMR) apparently felt bored by the exercise and has come up with a new way to challenge its drivers and engineers. For the 2020 Yokohama NORRA Mexican 1000, TMR will set out into the wilderness on Vespas. Yep, the scooters. B

Source: Racing Vespas in the Mexican 1000 sounds like peak adventure